Stockell Street in Cleveland Park is among those with the highest number of home closings over the $200,000 mark. / Samuel M. Simpkins / The Tennessean

Written by

Nancy DeVille

The Tennessean

Michael Higley-Vance wants to buy in an urban neighborhood — and for him, a sense of community is as important as an affordable price.

So, after looking at neighborhoods across the city, he’s leaning toward Cleveland Park, East Nashville’s less impressive sister to the north.

The single dad of three, a biracial son and two African-American daughters, shares a desire to be close to downtown and live in a neighborhood with sidewalks and parks. He plans to relocate from Clarksville in the next year.

“It’s important for my kids to be around people they can relate to and identify with,” he said. “I want to be a part of trying to keep Cleveland Park the historic treasure I see it being. The cost of the home helps, but the supportive community is my motivation.”

Many think Cleveland Park, sandwiched between Ellington Parkway and Dickerson Pike, is primed to be Nashville’s next redeveloped “it” neighborhood. Its location is appealing. The affordable prices work for first-time homebuyers and investors, said Brian Copeland, who lives in and sells real estate in Cleveland Park.

“It’s the edge of 37206, and when prices start escalating in one neighborhood, the ones closest to it will always appreciate,” he said.

“Most of the people who move into Cleveland Park, they see a beautiful neighborhood with lots of potential.”

While many believe gentrification has revitalized several Nashville neighborhoods, Cleveland Park community leaders want to avoid it. Ben Jordan, co-chair of the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Association, says it forces some residents out who can’t pay the higher rents or property taxes.

“We have been very sensitive about things that would create an environment for gentrification, one being historic overlays that could create a hardship on the people that have been here a long time,” he said.

Disrepair to resurgence

Just a few years ago, Cleveland Park was battling dilapidated rental properties, absentee landlords and stray dogs running amok. Many homes sat empty, some even with their front doors wide open, inviting drug addicts, prostitutes and vermin, residents said.

The area is seeing a resurgence. Families are moving into homes. Crime is down, 26 percent from 2007 in East Nashville, police say. Streetscape improvements have given adjacent Dickerson Pike needed curb appeal. Residents have worked with Metro Animal Control to reduce strays.

Neighbors also organized to keep unwanted development — like a proposed trash facility — at bay, and attract more amenities the residents need. They fought hard, longtime resident Johnnie Pringle said, to lure a Wal-Mart neighborhood market to Gallatin Pike near Douglas Avenue, the area’s first major retailer in decades. The neighborhood has a mix of ethnic diversity, including white families who once avoided the area.

“It’s definitely not like it used to be, and I’m grateful for that,” Pringle said. “The ball really started rolling when we got together and formed a neighborhood association.”

In Cleveland Park home prices range from $29,900 for a fixer-upper to $99,900 for a house that’s move-in ready. Some streets have more value than others — Meridian, Pennock, Stockell and Lischey have the highest number of closings over the $200,000 mark. The area’s highest closing was a 3,700-square-foot home at 1101 Lischey for $259,000.